.....what I write when I am not writing software codes. Almost as illogical.

Monday, September 17, 2012

'Spot-fixing' curtains.

Plumbers,
carpenters and technicians help us recalculate the number of days that constitute
a week. Like for example, the washing machine breaks down and laundry basket is
looking more like a garbage dump. Suddenly the realization that some important
clothes are in them dawns and then calls to the retail guy ends up either to
the voicemail or the line is forever busy. After calling like n(n+1) times the
retail guy lousily answers the call, in a tone which makes you think that you
are begging to be cast in his next movie. Then he says he will send his men to
fix the machine in two days. Another two days and the wardrobe seems to look
empty, the laundry basket is not visible anymore- it remains buried under a heap of
clothes. One begins to wonder about the scarcity of clothes in the wardrobe.
Then you call again and he says, Madam you don’t work on a weekend, do you?
Call on Monday! There, and before you know it, another week and soon, one month and a thousand phone
calls are wasted.

No fortunately
that did not happen with me, something worse did. So two weeks ago we moved into
this new apartment, and have set up everything except the curtains. We took window measurements ourselves and bought rod and curtains and ever since had been
waiting for someone to fix it. So firstly we were given the number of one
Joseph, who wasted one week by postponing unprofessionally saying ‘In another two days’
and after which he refused to answer our calls. I intelligently tried to call
from my mobile, thinking he would pick up but he was cleverer than both of us.
This guy did not have the courtesy to call back, and so we started looking for
someone else.

We gathered details of another guy who fixed
the curtains for a neighbor. This guy promised to come the next day and yes he
came today by noon. One hungry looking guy to fix curtains, rods and holders for
three rooms and four double-curtains. Usually a helper comes with such people
to help with the tools but there were none in sight-no tools either. Not to
mention that he looked frail and undernourished to even hold the curtains properly
using both hands. However we noticed that he wore frameless spectacles, Casio
watch and carried a very modern phone. The first impression he made was to
borrow some basic tools from us. For all the phone calls and the number of days
wasted, a weird kind of patience had come to us and we decided not to
underestimate. So he started one side of the window where he took measurement
and made a mark on the wall to fix the holder.

Then he set up
the holder, tilted shoddily almost at a 45 degree angle from the floor.

I should mention
here that my husband is not a quick tempered person. Unless and until provoked
to his core he doesn’t bother about anything or anyone other than family or his
electronic possessions (not necessarily in that order) and lives perpetually
undisturbed in his own world of wires, cables and gadgets.

Hubby: ‘What is
this?’

Stupid
malnourished guy (SMG): ‘What sir?”

Hubby: ‘ Cant
you even see for yourself what you have done! If the holder is tilted the
entire curtain will be tilted…do I have to tell you that?’

SMG: ‘Oh come on
sir this holder and all will not be seen outside once the curtain comes!’

Hubby: ‘Okay then!
You can leave! We dint get this curtain for free, we paid for it and we
expect you to do a good job of it’.

**I think this is a total decent response,
because if it was Papa in this situation he would have made SMG pee in his pants or cry like a
baby. If it were my grandfather he would’ve said enough for this guy to abandon
everything worldly and go to the Himalayas to meditate**

But SMG had
conveniently ignored the conversation as his stupidity took over him and he
climbed on the other side of the window to fix the next holder. He placed the
holder somewhere at the edge and turned to ask, ‘This angle okay, sir?’

Hubby: ‘What ! Don’t
you even have the basic scale to measure the angle?’

SMG: ‘Oh we don’t
carry that for such things Sir’

Hubby then took
his phone and called the neighbor who recommended him and talked about how the
wall was damaged. Neighbor of course was not helpful and finally SMG packed and
left. Seriously if it were me I’d just shake the ladder he was standing on. Well
considering his approximate weight to be around 30 kilos I could have done that
easily mind you.

And so he left,
leaving the hall in a total mess with screws and curtains (newly and carefully
bought) strewn around. Sob. Screws can easily excite my toddler who at present can’t
tell a tool from a biscuit so he may as well swallow them, so I need to clean
up the place and make sure there is nothing lying around. That’s how to invite a
calamity to the house you see. Sigh.

Well we need
such people around to realize the value of professionals.

Oh gosh! What a disaster! He could simply say he didnot know how to do it and move on. and really your husband is very patient. If it were me, I would do the same, shake the damn ladder! Sometimes, you get people to help you do things, but somehow it ends with you having to do a lot more! I do hope everything is done now Anita.

You are right Anita, we need such situation to realize the value of a professional! You know, we can do something about it. We have a powerful tool in blogging. What you must do is to mention the company SMG works for, in your post and let people living around you know exactly how the company is behaving with their customers. Once it comes out in the public domain, trust me things will improve :)